10 Tips for Tent Camping with Babies and Toddlers
It’s finally spring!! And it’s definitely not too early to start thinking about this coming year's camping trips! In fact Recreation.Gov opens up most campsite registration six-months in advance and popular sites tend to go quickly. So now is actually the perfect time to start thinking about those mid-summer and fall trips. I’ve also discovered that people book way in advance and cancel frequently so keep checking those favorite sites as something might pop-up unexpectedly due to a cancellation.
Planning a tent camping trip with a young child can seem daunting, but if you’ve got some good camping experience under your belt pre-kids the transition isn’t as tough as you would think. Our daughter has been on two camping trips so far under the age of two so while I’m no expert, I’ve definitely made note of a couple of things that worked for us so far!
Have thick skin – some people might be mean
Even if you are camping at a family friendly spot, there will likely be at least a few people staying there who aren’t in the family spirit. Our daughter Callie had a meltdown at breakfast when we didn’t allow her to bring her stuffed Winnie the Pooh to the table. She has a very high-pitched scream and let a good one fly right around 8:30am.
While most people are up with the sun when camping, there was a group of adults at a site across the way from us that screamed at us from their tent to “does that thing have an off switch”? The “thing” being our daughter. We were both shocked and upset at the same time. I was also worried that the angry camper was going to come out of the tent and confront us. Luckily, most campers were up by then and another Dad even came over to offer moral support and let us know that he was also shocked and embarrassed by the stranger’s behavior.
The bottom line is that you should be prepared for not everyone to be friendly. Try not to take it too personally and do your best to be respectful of all campers. At the same time, there is only so much you can do to “prep” a child under two about behaving correctly at a shared campsite. Giving them the experience at a young age will help them become better campers in the future!
Have a plan for night wakings
Even if your child has been sleeping through the night for some time, sleeping conditions in a tent are far different than a child’s typical sleep environment and could cause a night waking that usually wouldn’t happen. If you are doing dispersed camping and there is no one else camping nearby then there is a little less pressure, take the time you need to calm down your child, let them know they are safe and put them back down to fall asleep independently.
If you are camping at a crowded family campground, it's a good idea to make a plan in advance about how you’ll handle a night screamer. We decided that we’d take our daughter to the car to calm her down if we needed to. Also make sure you prep your older baby or toddler and let them know what to expect in advance. Set-up the tent in advance and acclimate them to the sounds a tent makes (zipping/unzipping, crunchy of the tarp below, etc) and what it will be like to share a room with Mom/Dad if you don’t normally.
Bring favorite stuffies and let them have them whenever they want
We have a rule in our house that our daughter’s most valued stuffed animal, Winnie the Pooh, does not get to come to parks, stores, restaurants, etc. If he were to go missing or be dropped somewhere there would be no sleep for days. But because Pooh also makes her feel safe no matter the situation, so we do allow her to bring him with when she’s going to be out of her comfort zone, like camping. Whenever she got overwhelmed or nervous while camping Pooh was there to bring some sense of normalcy and comfort and that helped a lot.
Be flexible with the “rules”
There are times to hold your boundaries and other times to let them go, camping is one of those times. Think of it as the 80:20 rule. Your child will be out of their normal routine and the key to keeping them happy is to let them take the lead a little more than normal. The above breakfast meltdown that roused an unhappy camper probably could have been prevented by us if we just let our daughter have Pooh during meal time. At home we have a no stuffed animals at the table policy, but she was feeling insecure and it really wouldn’t be the end of the world if Pooh joined us at the breakfast table this one time. Breaking the “rules” once or twice during camping isn’t going to cause future bad behavior, just hop back into your normal routine once you are back home.
Bring all the snacks
A happy camper is a well-fed one! Your child will likely be expending more energy than normal playing outside all day and in the sun more than usual, climbing, hiking, swimming, etc. Be sure to pack a variety of healthy and high-value snacks! Our daughter loves graham crackers and while these are normally only a treat or afternoon snack, via the above, it’s okay to bend the rules a bit while camping. She got a big kick out of getting some animal crackers in the morning along with her favorite peanut butter puffs. We also packed plenty of applesauce and shelf-stable yogurt pouches, fruit leather, bananas and other fruits. If your child is old enough, granola bars (without nuts) are great too! Whenever she would start to get fussy we’d offer her a snack and most of the time this would turn her mood around.
Pack lots of layers
Whether you’re in the mountains or the Midwest, you never know what the weather is going to bring in the summer. It could go from sunny and 70 to 45 degrees and rainy within hours. The temperature also tends to drop at night so you’ll want to make sure you pack plenty of layers for your little one. We ended up purchasing this wearable sleeping bag by Morrison Outdoors that goes down to 40 degrees. We tied up the bottom with a hair tie to keep the fit snug and warm and rolled up the sleeves and it’s big enough that it will grow with her.
Prepare for a no-nap scenario
When our daughter was 18 months old and taking one solid nap a day, we weaned her black-out shades. It was important to us that she be able to adapt to the environment she is in and sleep well in a variety of situations whether that's a lit room in daycare, a tent, grandma’s house, car, etc. We still tried to make her sleep environment in our tent as normal as possible for her with her pack and play, sleep sack, sound machine, etc. Our daughter was able to fall asleep for a little over an hour in the tent which we were all happy with!
Depending on the weather, you should plan that your child may not be able to sleep in the tent if it’s too hot. If they are younger than a year it’s likely they’ll be happy to fall asleep on you for a little bit in a carrier or backpack. When our daughter was around 9-months we made a brewery stop on our camping trip and she slept in her portable car seat for about an hour. If they are older it might just end up being a no nap day and that just means an earlier bedtime. Some parents have suggested taking a scenic drive in the car with the air-con on to try and get at least a 45-minute nap. There will be so much exciting stimulation for your little one they may not even be that grumpy…remember the snacks!
Let them get dirty
We’ve stayed at campsites before that are mostly on a dirt/paved patch and not on grass which can equal a lot of dirt or mud. We found that everyone was happier when gave up discouraging our daughter to dig and rub her hands in everything. If you have younger ones, watching to make sure they don’t put something in their mouth though is still key. For her it was an exciting new texture and sensory activity and in the end it wasn’t going to hurt her.
If you’re staying at a primitive campsite there likely won’t be more than a spigot of water or if you’re lucky some showers. Don’t feel bad about skipping the nighttime bath, routine is out the window and your child will likely not even notice. We chose to wipe her down with a washcloth each night to wash some of the dust away and she was just fine. Make sure you do a thorough tick-check too if you’re in an area where they are prevalent.
Safety first
Little ones are natural explorers and camping is a great way for them to explore a new environment. Even though we tried to be more relaxed with our normal rules and routine, safety is not something you should compromise on. Depending on the environment you’re in, you should be on high alert for inedible/dangerous items, wild animals, steep drop-offs on hikes, street crossings at the campground, wood that could cause splinters and more. Teach your child how to react to a wild animal encounter in advance if they are old enough to understand. Also, if a situation becomes safe or a child becomes ill, don’t feel bad about bailing early. We recently had a situation where our daughter came down with a high fever and we’d planned on spending all day outside when it was nearly 80 degrees. The two didn’t mix so we had the choice of spending the next 12 hours sitting in a one-room hotel room or driving home, so we bailed for home. I can tell you that we were all the happier (and healthier) for being in our own beds that night.
Embrace the chaos
Just enjoy it! Being a parent is HARD whether that is at home or in nature and I can guarantee you that the view is better outdoors.
